Coxswain David MacAskill (49)
received one of the charity’s top accolades for his courage and determination
in extremely difficult conditions.

He was presented with the
medal in a presentation ceremony in Lochinver on Friday (18 November) from the
RNLI’s Chairman, Stuart Popham.

Six RNLI volunteer crew men
were also recognised for their part in the rescue of the crew on board the fish
carrier, Norholm. Stuart
Gudgeon, Robert Kinnaird, James MacAskill, John K Templeton, Joseph Mackay and
Lachlan D MacAskill received
Letters of Thanks from the Chairman.

Gale force winds were pushing
the fish carrier towards the dangerous and rocky shore of Cape Wrath when
Coxswain MacAskill and his crew launched their all-weather lifeboat Julian and Margaret Leonard into rough
seas and darkness on 7 December 2014.

They braved up to 10 metre
seas, thunder, lightning and hail to reach the four people on board the
disabled vessel. After battling against the strong winds and waves to attach a
tow line, the lifeboat crew managed to tow it clear of danger.

Despite the lifeboat and Norholm reaching more sheltered waters,
the drama was not over – the tow line broke twice and the crew continued to
battle to save the fish carrier as the weather continued to worsen.

With the RNLI Thurso lifeboat
joining them, the tired crew of Lochinver lifeboat passed the tow to their
colleagues and returned to their lifeboat station in the morning of 8 December
- nearly 12 hours after they first launched.

Mr Popham told the guests at
Peet’s Restaurant, ‘When you think about the thousands of launches we carry out
every year, it’s actually very rare these days for a call out to end with a
medal.

‘During recent times we have
gone for whole years without any gallantry awards. It’s only the really
outstanding examples of skill and courage that get recognised in this way.

‘But of course, that’s not why
people volunteer for the lifeboat. When they launch, a medal or a vellum award
is the last thing on their minds.

‘There’s no doubt that four
people are only alive today because of what you did that night and that is why
this is one of those rescues that deserves special recognition for true RNLI
gallantry.’

After the rescue the Norholm made a substantial donation to
the RNLI and praised the Lochinver lifeboat crew for saving their lives.

Mr Popham added, ‘In their
letter they said, ‘words cannot describe the gratitude we feel towards your
lifeboat crew whose fast actions and bravery saved the lives of the crew of the
Norholm.’

Coxswain MacAskill has been
on the Lochinver crew for 26 years during which time he has received several
letters of commendation from the charity.

He thanked Mr Popham for
coming to Lochinver to make the presentation and said he was delighted to
accept the medal which was also recognition for the volunteer crew involved in
the rescue.

This is the first time in
Lochinver’s nearly 50-year history that the station has received such an award
for saving lives at sea. It is the seventh Bronze Medal to be awarded in
Scotland in the last 16 years.

Key facts about the RNLI

The Royal National Lifeboat Institution is the charity that saves lives at sea. Our volunteers provide a 24-hour search and rescue service in the United Kingdom and Ireland from 238 lifeboat stations, including four along the River Thames and inland lifeboat stations at Loch Ness, Lough Derg, Enniskillen and Lough Ree. Additionally the RNLI has more than 1,000 lifeguards on over 240 beaches around the UK and operates a specialist flood rescue team, which can respond anywhere across the UK and Ireland when inland flooding puts lives at risk.

The RNLI relies on public donations and legacies to maintain its rescue service. As a charity it is separate from, but works alongside, government-controlled and funded coastguard services. Since the RNLI was founded in 1824 our lifeboat crews and lifeguards have saved at least 140,000 lives. Volunteers make up 95% of the charity, including 4,600 volunteer lifeboat crew members and 3,000 volunteer shore crew. Additionally, tens of thousands of other dedicated volunteers raise funds and awareness, give safety advice, and help in our museums, shops and offices.